Money is a difficult obstacle in all artistic endeavors, but none more so than in film. The economic realities of filmmaking are heart breakingly expensive. Not only does is take an incredible investment in time and money to become proficient in filmmaking, but the next step of then realizing your vision is virtually impossible without major financial backing.
Having lived in L.A. I have watched friends and aquitnaces spend years on relatively small film projects. I have seen guys convert their entire apartments into sets, beg for money from parents and friends, max out credit cards, win grants, and still produce shoddy and unprofessional results. There is a very fine line between making art or turning your vision into a personal albatross.
However, new advances in technology have decreased the necessity of mega budgets in filmmaking. Of course digital video changed the way in which video art was made in the 90’s, but in my opinion, the biggest technological leap has been made most recently with the inception of HD capable SLR's like the Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon 7D. HD video coupled with powerful editing programs such as Final Cut Pro offer new and stunning possibilities of self-expression in moving media. In the next ten years, with camera systems like Red, the possibilities of what the average consumer has access to is virtually limitless.
I cannot even begin to express how lovely it is to use a camera like the 5D Mark II to shoot video. The results verge on the truly cinematic. It is an amazing feeling to carry such a small machine in your hands knowing that you could, within reason, shoot an excellent looking movie. For instance, just recently Matthew Libatique, DP for Darren Aronofsky, used the Canon 7D for several scenes in The Black Swan.
Film has been a passion of mine since I had passions. However, I have stuck to photography in the hopes of some day making the break from still to moving image. This is not an impossible jump, and has been done before, most recently by the late Tim Hetherington, with his war-documentary, Restropo.
I first got the itch working on a student feature-film in college. It was ridiculous booze filled endeavor, and I only wish that I had the presence of mind to document the entire thing. The resulting documentary would have been the hipster version of American Movie.
So finally, after years of waiting, and now having access to an amazing filmmaking program at RIT, I begin making films.
I have to thank my great friend Eric Binns for allowing me to utilize footage for this particular project. He shot the video on a 7D. This little piece is an amazing example of the power of editing. Film is incredible because it is a true cross-genre platform. It combines music, writing, and oft times painterly visuals. Editing is perhaps the biggest challenge, but a true process of poetry. This footage is random, it was just taken, and certainly not intended to be used as I have.
My friends, a rag-tag group self-named The Johnnys took a trip to Shanghai and Bangkok for no good reason besides that it was a financed trip. It was an odd and somewhat dispiriting journey. The type of journey that makes you question why you are friends with these people, and what the hell you are doing on the other side of the planet. I wanted to express some of that displacement and conflict in my piece.
Thank you MMT for that lovely comment on post-modern assholes and their fancy camera equipment. Maybe there is a reason why film costs should remain prohibitive - makes you actually think about whether what you are shooting is worth the cost. Luckily you have made the best of what you were given. Still, something tells me from seeing your other work on this blog that you can do better. In my opinion your first piece on the cellist is still your shining star.
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